First Quarter 2015
February—March—April
Dreams and Visions
Inside this issue:
1
It’s the month of February, and love is in the air. But we’re not talking about
Valentine’s Day. Did you know that February is American Heart Month? From our
family at The Arc to yours – it’s time to have a heart-to-heart about steps we can
take and small lifestyle changes we can make to keep our hearts healthy and happy
for years to come.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, heart disease is
the leading cause of death for both men and women. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that you can make healthy changes to lower your risk of
developing heart disease by incorporating these changes:
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Change the way you season food-use spices instead of salt
Control your cholesterol and blood pressure
Watch your weight
Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke
If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation
Get active and eat healthy
Check out these resources for more information – take heart!

Find out what you can do today to lower your risk for heart disease:
http://1.usa.gov/13d8oBq

Worried about your blood pressure? Check out these questions to ask your doctor: http:/ / 1.usa.gov/ 1wGp3ta

Confused by cholesterol? Watch this presentation from @medlineplus4you to
learn what’s what: http:/ / 1.usa.gov/ ifq74n

Planning a grocery store trip this weekend? Pump up your heart health by
choosing foods that are low in sodium (salt): http:/ / 1.usa.gov/ y0uXTq

Did you know? You need to get your blood
pressure checked every 2 years starting at age
18. Learn why: http:/ / 1.usa.gov/ mRFcKh

Are you a woman over age 55? Talk to your
doctor about taking aspirin to reduce your risk
of stroke: http:/ / 1.usa.gov/ jnchQM
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[Unattributed]: Keep Your Heart Healthy: [http://healthfinder.gov/nho/FebAnnounce.aspx]
:para.2 [Feb2015]
For people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities
Page 2
F irst Quart er 20 15
Education/Children Topics and Issues
By Cg La Scala, Director of Advocacy
ACCOMMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS, Part I
I frequently receive calls from parents who report that the school is not
following the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). After some
discussion, I learn that the school is addressing the goals and objectives
appropriately, but is not consistently implementing the accommodations
and/or the modifications as mentioned in that section of the IEP. On the IEP, there is a section of
the form that is labeled “Accommodations and Modifications”. It often follows the section where
goals and objectives are developed and is before the section that describes service delivery.
These sections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-2004 are required on
the IEP:
300.320(a)(4)(i)-(iii)
“(4) A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and
services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child,
or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school
personnel that will be provided to enable the child—
(i) To advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals;
(ii) To be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum in accordance with
paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic
activities; and
(iii) To be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children
in the activities described in this section;”
IDEA 300.320(a)(6)(i)
“(i) A statement of any individual appropriate accommodations that are necessary to measure the
academic achievement and functional performance of the child on State and districtwide
assessments consistent with section 612(a)(16) of the Act;”
Next quarter, I will address the distinction between
accommodations and modifications. They are to be tailored to
the needs of the individual student. Just because there might be
30 accommodations for a child does not mean that all 30 will be
needed. Those distinctions are the differences that need
clarifying next quarter.
F irst Quart er 2 015
Pag e 3
Please Join Us for
The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas Counties
Annual Meeting &
Volunteer Recognition Dinner
“Connect with The Arc”
Tim Yoakum and Terri Barnhart

Dinner from 6—6:45 pm

2014 Review & Annual Report

Election of Board Members for a three-year term; 2015-2017
Catherine O’Brien Crum—Tom Francen—Karen Huber—Lisa Noar—Joe McCulloh—Pam Valvano

Volunteer Recognition and Volunteer of the Year Award

“Connect with The Arc” Learn how to navigate our website, access online resources, & simple
social media tips.
Please RSVP to Pam by February 23 at
pam@arc-ad.org or 303-220-9228
Are You Reading Our Blog?
If you haven't checked out our Blog, you are missing out on staff book
reviews, information about IEPs, Bullying, waivers, and more. Please
visit our website www.arc-ad.org/blog and sign up to be notified of
new blog posts when they are published.
We also encourage you to provide feedback in the comments section
of the blog. Blogging is a way for us to share, connect, and inspire
each other...and sometimes - it's just plain fun! Your voice matters
and learning from you helps us determine better ways to serve the
community.
New on the blog this month:
“Bullying and Disability in the School System–What We Learned from CDDC & DPS”
Pag e 4
F irst Quart er 2 015
Embracing Life with...Dylan Batz
By Veronica Crowell, Individual/Family Advocate
Dylan Batz was born in Littleton Colorado in 1992
with a seizure disorder and developmental delays.
But that hasn’t held him back in life, not even for a
minute. He has been, and till this day remains, an
ambitious young man.
At the age of 14 Dylan had a Hydrocephalus seizure
and as a result was hospitalized for two months.
Dylan had to re-learn how to do everything - from
walking and talking to reading and writing. But that
really didn’t seem to slow him down much either.
Tim, Dylan’s dad said he was almost back to normal
within six months.
Dylan attended Gem’s elementary for kindergarten
then attended Havern School until the 9th grade. He
then attended and graduated from Arapahoe High
School after completing the transition program
where he
participated in
Project Search for
one year. In the
Project Search
program Dylan
completed three ten
week internships.
He and his dad both
said that the Project
Search program was
really wonderful and
Dylan benefited
greatly from being
involved.
After graduating in 2011 Dylan hit the pavement
looking for work. He went to the local McDonald’s
seeking employment. When the manager asked
Dylan why he wanted to work there he told him he
“needed some cash”. The manager laughed and
hired him on the spot. Dylan actually already had a
job at the 24 Hour Fitness near his home. He started
working there when he turned 18 and was still attending Arapahoe High School. While working at 24
Hour Fitness, Dylan became very interested in physical fitness. And out of the entire student body at
AHS, he was awarded the 2011 “Physical Education
Student of the Year”.
Dylan does have other interests besides working and
attending HighPointe Centers three days a week. He
is a part of a ski team sponsored by the National
Sports Center for the Disabled which is based out of
Winter Park Colorado. He also has been involved in
Special Olympics since he was in the 9th grade - he
has participated in basketball, bowling, softball,
track and field and tennis.
For fun Dylan likes to go for runs and spend time
with his girlfriend Molly.
I think it’s safe to say at the end of his day Dylan has
no problem laying his head down and drifting off to
sleep knowing he gave his best that day. That’s
because Dylan is the kind of guy who gives his best
every day.
If you would like to be highlighted in the “Embracing
Life” column, please contact Veronica Crowell at
303-220-9228 or veronica@arc-ad.org.
By Lee Ray, Adult Advocate
The Developmental Disabilities system in Colorado (programs designed to support people with intellectual
and cognitive disabilities), like most systems, loves acronyms. It can get very confusing, but the two
acronyms in the title are likely ones you need to know. The first, SLS, stands for “Supported Living
Services” and the second, SIS, for “Supports Intensity Scale”.
The DD System continues to enroll people with new resources approved during the last legislative session.
F irst Quart er 2 015
These new resources are to be
allocated by July 2015, and represent
an effort to eliminate the waiting list
for SLS services. You or your family
member may be offered one of these
new resources, and you should be
prepared.
SLS is a Medicaid Waiver program for
people with intellectual/cognitive
disabilities; meaning a Medicaid
funded program for Long Term Care services for a specific
population of people. To qualify, a person needs to be eligible for
services through the Developmental Disabilities system and eligible
for Medicaid. A person can only be enrolled in one Medicaid Waiver
program at a time but may remain on the wait list for others
(for example comprehensive or residential services).
Supported Living Services are intended to support someone in their
home environment (their family’s home or their own) and cannot
pay for room and board expenses. Unlike traditional residential
services, they do not require that the individual pay part of their SSI
or SSDI benefits to the agency providing services.
SLS can fund a variety of services (e.g., personal care, homemaker,
community access, day programs, ongoing employment support after
vocational rehab services are exhausted, mentorship, respite,
various therapies if not paid for through private insurance or
Medicaid health insurance, home modification, assistive tech,
dental, etc.).
Once a SLS resource becomes available there is a rush to complete
all the steps needed to access these services. One of the first steps
involves the second acronym in the title – the Supports Intensity
Scale (SIS) interview. SIS is an assessment that is used to determine
the funding level an individual will receive for the services they are
being offered (in most cases SLS).
A SIS interview will be scheduled for an in depth assessment of an
individual’s support needs. It can be an intimidating process
(especially for the person being assessed) and being prepared for it
is essential! The SIS focuses on what supports would need to be in
place for an individual to be successful in virtually every aspect of
life. The focus on supports (not a focus on a person’s strengths) can
feel negative. The necessity of breaking activities down to minute
steps, and thinking of everything needed to make those steps
successful, can feel overwhelming. Knowledge of the process; the
overall purpose of the interview, the intent of the particular
questions, the way it is scored and the consequences of that scoring,
are essential to ensuring that an individual’s support needs are
adequately reflected and funded.
Guidance and assistance from available sources (literature from the
state, agencies such as local chapters of The Arc, and the
experience of another family or advocate) can make all the
difference.
Pag e 5

Self-Advocates First Friday
Launch March 6, 2015
(6:00-9:00 pm)

Caregiver Wellness Workshop
March 25, 2015 (6:30-8:30 pm)
REPEAT
March 28, 2015 (12:00-2:00pm)

Step Up
(April 22-May 27 on Thursdays)
(6:30-8:30 pm)

Learning for Living
Friendships
(April 22- June 3 on Thursdays)
(6:30-8:30 pm)

Learning for Living
Relationships
(June 11 - September 10)
View all of our events at:
http://www.arc-ad.org/events/arcevents/index.php
To RSVP or if you have any questions,
please contact Kim Tenure: kim@arcad.org
Pag e 6
F irst Quart er 2 015
By Carol Meredith, Executive Director
The end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 have
been very busy on the public policy front for
people with disabilities.
Federal
The United State Congress passed the ABLE Act,
which will allow families to save for the future
of their child or children with a disability. It will
take a while before the program is available in
Colorado. Stay tuned to our Action Alerts and
Weekly Updates for more information and/or
check out our national organization’s website at
www.thearc.org and click on latest information
about the ABLE Accounts.
benefit from the mental health parity statues on
the federal level. Your Executive Director
testified in support of the bill and organized
testimony at the first committee hearing. It
passed out of that committee unanimously, but
still has a long way to go before it can be signed
by the Governor.
For more information about the bills we are
watching, please see our Public Policy page at
http://www.arc-ad.org/public-policy/index.php
and make sure you are signed up for our Action
Alerts to learn more about the legislative bills
The Arc is monitoring and how you can help us
ensure that the concerns of our community are
heard and our needs are met. Email Kelie at
kelie@arc-ad.org if you are not currently on our
State
Public Policy email list and would like to be
In December, the Joint Budget Committee of the included.
Colorado Legislature starts holding hearings and
briefings from the departments. Your staff at
Local
The Arc will try to attend as many of these as
We are hearing from many families and
possible, as we learn so much about how the
self-advocates that the high cost of housing is
systems of care work and the focus of the
making it very difficult for people with
department and the legislature for the coming
to live outside of the family home.
year. Your Executive Director along with Marijo disabilities
Our
staff
has
working to develop a Housing
Rymer from The Arc CO and Corry Robinson from Summit wherebeen
we
can
invite our community to
JFK Partners testified twice before the JBC this learn about the problem
and start to address it
year. One “after hours” hearing was to update
in
Arapahoe
and
Douglas
counties. Stay tuned.
the JBC on the progress of the Gaps Analysis for
people with intellectual and developmental disaTake Action...Make Your Voice Heard!
bilities who also experience mental health and/
or behavioral challenges and the other was
supporting the Governor’s request to amend the
Children with Autism Waiver and end the waiting
list for that waiver.
A mom in Ft. Collins contacted her legislator,
Senator Kefalas, to fix a problem that she was
experiencing with the Health Insurance Mandate
for Autism Treatment. During this session, many
of the local chapters of The Arc in Colorado will
work together to support or defeat legislation.
Our state chapter hires a lobbying firm that
helps us analyze all the bills to ensure that we
don’t miss anything, and we review all the bills
of interest on a weekly basis. Through this process we are strongly supporting this mom’s
efforts to get rid of the caps on services, ensure
that behavioral technicians can be paid, and position our laws so that people with autism can
Carol Meredith, Executive Director
Don’t know who your legislator is?
Find them now!
Visit: http://openstates.org/co/legislators/
F irst Quart er 2 015
Pag e 7
Your membership and contributions to The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas Counties means
you are joining others in your community that want to make a difference!
October 16, 2014 – January 31, 2015
Members
Janis DeBaca
Wayne Becker
Tom Francen
Franz & Karen Huber
Cher Serhal
Carl Lawson
Bronze Partner
Walter & June Klaus
Thomas J. Doyle in memory of
Robert & Margaret Richardson
Marjory A. Doyle
Terry & Patricia Colip
Blake & Anne Thomas
Christine Robinson
Brett & Juanita Siegrist
Contributing Partners
Lara Waters
Steve & Mary Gumm
Gary Hanes
Samuel Dangremond
Robert Bush
Holly Fiscus
John Roeske
Michael & Carol Silvestain
Jon & Ann Intravia
Dirk & Janet Pasterkamp
Ron & Carrie VanBruwaene
Robert & Margaret Richardson
RJ & Elinor Sanderson
Joe & Liz Wuest
JR Sietsema
Renee Klotzbach
Steve & Mary Gumm
Elsa McTavish
Ilse Oshel
William Robinson & Barbara Doerr Jamie Head
Eddie Sabin
Dirk & Janet Pasterkamp
William & Stephany Austin
Alison Rangell
Joy Martinez
Thank you for donations received Judy Duran
Carol Silvestain
through:
Holly Fiscus
Mile Hi United Way
Mark Scherer & Cynthia Carr
Caring Connection
Merck Partnership for Giving
Community First Foundation
Silver Partner
Colorado Knights of Columbus
Myron & Beatrice Kyser
John Kearns
Fred & Roxanne Vierra
Colorado Gives Day
Thank you to everyone who made
donations on Colorado Gives Day,
December 9, 2014. Please know
that you can make a donation
year-round at,
www.coloradogives.org/arc-ad
Our Mission
The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas Counties
uses advocacy and education to
include all children and adults with
disabilities, and their families,
in their communities.
Contact Information:
6538 S. Racine Circle
Centennial CO 80111
303.220.9228 ~ 303.220.0994 fax
www.arc-ad.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim Yoakum—President
Pam Valvano—Vice President
Erin Jones—Treasurer
Tom Francen—Secretary
Brad Ancell ~ Terri Barnhart
Janis DeBaca ~ Tom Francen
Joe McCulloh ~ Susan Mooney
Lisa Noar
Can your old car, boat or camper advocate for you and your child at an IEP
meeting? It can if you donate it to The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas. Call 1-877272-7212 and mention that you want your donation to benefit The Arc
Arapahoe & Douglas. Thank you!
We Invite You to Become a Member of The Arc
6538 South Racine Circle
Centennial CO 80111
Change service requested
When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5%
of the purchase price to The Arc Arapahoe & Douglas
Counties. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know.
Same products, same prices, same service. Please bookmark (http://bit.ly/1rOy79R ) and support us every time
you shop!
arc Thrift Stores provide the majority of funding for your chapter. For donation
pickup call 303-238-5263. To find a store near you go to www.arcthrift.org.